Bettencourt's Side of The Story

Last night, State Representative D.J. Bettencourt e-mailed us explaining his side of the story. I feel that it is appropriate to post excerpts of that e-mail. Here are some key points:

Money:
The issue for me was never money. I have not been on the payroll of a campaign since 2002 when I was working as an intern on Gordon Humphrey's campaign for Governor. Finally, I have made a vow that I would never take more money that simple reimbursement of personal cost from a campaign as long as I am in public office.

McCain/Immigration:
While not on the level of Tom Tancredo or Duncan Hunter, I am a member of the legislative caucus for legal immigration. I'm hardly a newcomer to the issue and chumming around with Ted Kennedy at press conferences promoting amnesty was more than I could stomach.

Feelings Towards McCain:
I'm not going to get into petty arguments over personalities or he said/she said and I want to make it clear the despite this incident I still hold Senator McCain in the highest regard and I wish his campaign well.

Romney Position:
I want to make this clear: I was never offered, nor am I being offered now any position or money from the Romney campaign. Their courtship of my support was fully ethical and completely above board.

McCain Position:
With regard to McCain and a paid position: The possibility of having my position become a compensated position did arise though never seriously. However, nothing formal was ever discussed, no amount was ever discussed, and NEVER were any demands made on my part.

Pindell/AP Story:
"(Bettencourt) told the Associated Press that he was indeed considering a job with McCain." Pindell is incorrect on this point. I never personally spoke with the AP.

McCain E-mail:
The e-mail provided by the McCain campaign was a personal correspondence between me and someone whom I considered a friend. Thus why the e-mail was sent from my personal and not political e-mail account. It was one paragraph from a five paragraph e-mail and was grossly out of its proper context. The entirety of the e-mail made it clear that I was not looking for, nor being offered any position or money from either Romney or McCain.